Finding Light
by princessofthescoundrels
Summary: Artemis sees herself and Ares in a whole other light after a mission post Battle of the Labyrinth.
1. Finding Out

**Hey! My name is princessofthescoundrels, shortened to Princess, POTS or scoundrel (****)! If you're new to this couple I'd like to welcome you to Ares/Artemis! (cheers!) They are just a couple that reminded me of Han and Leia from Star Wars (my obsession) so I decided to take a shot. My other story, Unexpected, takes place directly after this. The time period of this story is right after the Battle at the Labyrinth. Not entirely sure how this is going to end, but right now I'm giving you the first chapter to kind of get a feel for how people like this idea. Since this story takes place right before the 'kiss' (Ooh) there won't be too much romancing. It's like A New Hope, a giant tease.**

**For all the old readers… welcome back.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, but I like to think I have a partial ownership of the couple Ares/ Artemis.**

**Enjoy!**

***Zeus' Office, Olympus

Mount Olympus was the land of the gods. The columns and structures seemed to bow to the main meeting room of the Olympians. The flowers were blooming all year around, rustling from the wind high above the Empire State Building in Manhattan.

New York, beautiful, beautiful New York, was in turmoil. Actually, since the return of Kronos almost everywhere had been in disarray. Even Mount Everest seemed to be sinking back into the ground, cowering before the Titan lord. The Grand Canyon's edges became steeper and as did the Gods' tempers.

You see, at first glance of the peaceful scenery at Mount Olympus, you would assume that nothing was wrong in the world. That the Titans were growing restless, evil spirits were stirring, and all around were preparing for war.

A single golden bird flew through the skies, oblivious to the Gods' discomfort. He rests his wings against a nearby Olive tree and places his head between his wings and is at peace. A single scream coming from a certain purity goddess startled him from his rest. He puffed his wings indignantly and flew away to find a new perch.

Actually, gods and goddesses all over Olympus, training, resting or just doing godly duties were startled. Tennis rackets, egg pans and golden arrows were dropped to the ground and if you saw this from the sky you would think it funny how everyone put their hands to their ears and crunched over in synchronization.

Anyone who new Artemis would have to know that something must have really made her mad for her to lose her temper like she did to make such a noise. They would be right. You see, right now the young looking goddess was in Zeus office, brown hair in disarray and looking as though a child would during a tantrum.

"But why do I need to go with _him_?" she spat as if in disgust. Artemis crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her head, looking at her father with her most regal position. Zeus was not impressed.

"You have to because you two are the only ones that are up to this particular challenge!" Zeus leaned back in his leather chair attached to his desk and closed his eyes already bored.

"Well, I wouldn't have had signed up if I had known that he would too!" Artemis explained slowly, not unraveling her arms.

"I would have made you go anyway, despite whether or not you put your name on that list willingly or not."

"Then why did it say, 'optional?'"

"It was common courtesy. You're too easy; I knew that you would have signed up. Besides who wants to put their name to a list that says 'NOT optional?'" Zeus rubbed his head tiredly. It takes a lot of energy being the lead god and it can get to be very stressful at times, especially with clashing gods.

"Well, you could have at least warned me! You're not the boss of me!" Artemis was almost screaming now, she never let herself be this un- composed. But this situation was completely ridiculous and embarrassing.

Zeus cocked an eyebrow. "All right, maybe a little," she admitted. "But I still would have appreciated you telling me!"

Zeus sighed. "You and Ares are the only ones up to the job. Take it willingly, or I will force you."

"Does Ares know about this?" Artemis asked stubbornly.

"Yes, and he already accepted without half of the persuasion that you apparently require," Zeus said pointedly and looked at her with eyes that gave her a challenge. Artemis seemed to ponder it over for a minute or two.

"No."

"Do you want me to bring Apollo in? You can arrow the hell out of one another for all I care. Or shall I bring out the master bolt? I hear that it hurts like hell on gods. Ares got the bolt once and he couldn't walk for a whole week."

"Yes, well, you need me to leave tomorrow so it would be counterproductive to not be able to sit down for a week."

"Who said you needed to sit?"

Artemis slouched, defeated. "Fine. You win. Can I at least get some more, erm, solid information before I commit?"

"Sure. You and Ares will be going into the forgotten island of Pirates Cove in the Indian Ocean to destroy a hidden base of Kronos. Well, not so hidden anymore. Hermes found activity brewing over the island one day and now several storms have been occurring all over India that have nothing to do with me. The Winds are rebelling. We believe that the more bases that we take down, the easier the war next year will be."

"What will we use to destroy it?" Artemis asked curiously, and then was angry with herself for letting down her indifferent passive attitude.

"You will use skill, cunning and a whole lot of explosives. And Duct tape. And celestial bronze. We have an undercover spy, but his identity is strictly confidential, so that's the other part of your job. Save the spy before blowing up anything."

"Did you tell that to Ares?" she muttered. "And by confidential you mean that you don't even know?"

Zeus smiled at his daughter's barely concealed fury. He nodded. Artemis muttered a sarcastic, "Great!" under her breath and began to storm out.

Zeus called out after her. "Be ready by eight tomorrow, okay?" Artemis waved a hand over her head to show that she understood and Zeus went back to his work, chuckling silently to himself. "Kids…" he muttered and grinned over his papers.

***Hunters Tents, edge of Olympus

"I cannot believe this! That pighead never thinks of anyone other than himself! 'You two are the only ones up to the job!'" she imitated. "Oh brother Apollo, that man is nuts!"

"Maybe he meant to flatter you," suggested the newly appointed lead Hunter, Thalia. Thalia was the daughter of Zeus and wasn't all too fond of him either. She had recently participated in the Titan's curse exactly one year ago with her friends and was still getting the hand of Hunting after the last lead Hunter Zoë. Zoë died at the hands of her father and is now amongst the stars. "I mean, you are the best archer next to Apollo. Eros is just jealous."

"Then why couldn't he just get Apollo?" Artemis asked and stuffed another Hunting outfit in a carry- on backpack. The backpack was made so that it could hold any amount of items, so it came in handy during godly quests. The goddess packed a lot of weapons in one of the front flaps so if you were a half blood or god, if you stuck your hand in there, it would hurt. A lot.

Thalia handed Artemis her hairbrush and plopped down on Artemis' bed. Artemis raised an eyebrow at Thalia's boldness but did not intervene. "Apollo is busy every day. You know the sun? Zeus knows that you could just ask one of us to do the moon for you, Apollo has no one."

"Don't I know it? Why doesn't he just apologize to Eros so he can get a girlfriend? He's getting really lonely. And you know what? He always goes to ME! 'You're my twin, keep me company blah blah blah'," she mimicked in her anger.

"Come ON Artemis. You're being childish. What's the worst that can happen?"

Artemis halted her progress and turned to Thalia, holding up her index finger to Thalia's face. "Don't say that. Anything can happen. Remember last year? With the Labyrinth? Pan died. PAN."

"Pan was old," pointed out Thalia and Artemis removed her finger only to run her hand through her hair nervously.

"I haven't gone on a mission in a long time! What if I screw up? What if HE pisses me off and I do something stupid!"

"Don't live in the past. Plus he owes you from that one time you saved him from that jar thing. You know, with the giants?"

Artemis waved her arms distractingly. "Yes, yes, I remember. But I left him in the jar until we got to Olympus, he's still mad at me for that."

"But he still owes you." Thalia was insistent.

"Maybe so, but that doesn't rule out that he is going to annoy me to tears! Geez, he is the most insufferable man I have ever met."

Thalia gave her leader an exasperated look. Artemis defended herself. "But he is! He never gives anyone a break and is always looking for trouble! I can't stand the nerve of him!"

"Yes, I'm sure. But you're just going to have to deal with it! You are going to go on this mission whether you like it or not, if you pardon my boldness, and needless to say, you've been in tighter spots." Thalia had a knack of giving people information that they really didn't need at that time. Right now, the last thing Artemis needed was a lesson in real life.

"I suppose you're right. I mean, what's the worst that can possibly happen?" Artemis at this point was just trying to be optimistic, but only succeeded in fueling her worries with unwanted possibilities. She furrowed her eyebrows and then shook sense into herself. "Oh gods I just feel like I've sealed my own fate, or destruction or whatever. When will I ever learn to not use foreshadowing in a sentence?"

"We all make mistakes," Thalia smirked and the goddess glared.

Artemis made a show of walking to an animal skinned pillow and brushing out her long chocolate tresses. As goddesses could change their appearances at the slightest thought, many of her peers thought it was pointless to leave their hair long for days on end. Artemis believed that her long hair was symbolic for something, and only shortened it when necessary.

Sometimes it was vital to a mission for changed appearances, and although the goddess disliked the sensation it wasn't often her decision. Usually the leader of the mission decided what was to be done. The way that the Olympians settled leadership feuds was that whoever was in charge would ultimately decide what they were to do, even if the others gave helpful suggestions.

"Did my darling Daddy mention who was in charge?"

"He didn't say. He made it seem as though we were the only two going so I would assume it's a joint mission. I heard those were always fun when Ares was involved. The last time someone went on a joint with Ares, Mount Kilauea erupted. He was in Italy and a volcano in Hawaii erupted," Artemis said while beginning to twist long strands of hair into a complicated braid.

"Everyone knows that he doesn't work well with Athena. Besides he can't very well hurt a woman, I personally think its funny how he can actually blow his top when angry enough."

"Hilarious," Artemis replied coolly, now with both hands behind her head twisting away.

"Listen Artemis, you know I love you," Thalia began seriously, standing up and moving her backpack to the front of the tent for easier access in the morning. "But I think everything is going to be fine. As you said, what's the worst that can happen?"

Artemis finished her braid. "Please, don't ever say that, ever again."

Thalia grinned. "I'll be in the neighboring tent if you need me." Artemis nodded and sighed when Thalia left. Thalia brought a new attitude to the Hunters, one that was quite new to Artemis and the others. Artemis found herself enjoying the warrior that could converse and tell her exactly what was on her mind even though she was talking to a major goddess. Artemis wasn't surprised how fast she gained the others devotion and respect, with her wit and fighting skills.

The hard blow on the loss of Zoë saddened the group, but with the new addition of Thalia it made the pain a lot duller. They all found they were able to relax a lot more than they used to. More campfire sing- alongs, that sort of thing. They were all still the tough girls that they always were, only now more relaxed.

Artemis took another deep soothing breath and got off the floor to go to the bed. Today another senior Hunter was taking over the job of the moon, as she would the rest of the time Artemis was off to do the mission.

Getting ready for bed was always a strange thing for Artemis, since she was most awake at night. It's like being told you have to go to sleep after a sugar rush. Her nightdress, like all her other clothes, were white and seemed to make her glow. With her brown hair it gave the effect of an angel. Artemis was often referred to as being just as beautiful as Aphrodite. But not in the same way. Artemis was sort of a natural beauty, the kind you think of a princess. Aphrodite was a Hollywood beauty, but they always seemed to be the kind most adored.

Not that Artemis minded much. After all, she was the Goddess of Maidens and wasn't allowed to be adored by men. Besides, it made her feel awkward. Another reason that she chose to look like a young teenager was because most men do not want to get involved with a girl many years younger than themselves, or at least don't want to get involved with a child.

Well, she looked like a child anyway. She was actually thousands of years old. Artemis liked to think of her immortality as a responsibility, but some gods think it's funny to misuse their privilege.

When she settled into bed a sense of foreshadowing passed over her.

_I've got a bad feeling about this…_

***Ares house, Olympus

'_I've got a bad feeling about this…'_ thought a certain war god as he settled in bed alone, thinking. Aphrodite had been a bit distant lately, and although they tried to cover up that anything was abnormal he could tell that something big was going to happen between them. He found that he didn't mind sleeping alone much; it gave him a chance to take a break from all the drama. Plus, he had the whole bed to himself, a definite good factor.

Ares was unaware that at the edge of Olympus the leader of the Hunters was thinking the very same thing about their mission. Ares often said that thinking was dangerous, and he proved himself right because every time he began to think something went wrong. He was thinking about this mission a LOT so he was concerned more than usual.

It's not that he wasn't excited, he was. He was finally getting a chance to go on another mission after that stupid Kilauea accident. He didn't mean it! Strategic battle just made him so mad. Sometimes even war gods needed to let out a little steam.

The problem that kept coming up in his brain against his will was in the form of a girl. An Artemis girl to be exact! He couldn't see what the big deal was that he had to with her. He figured that he mind as well just go along with it, he needed to save up all his fighting for next year and the war. Zeus was saying that a bunch of monsters that haven't been seen in years were gathering and planning to make some serious destruction soon. Too soon.

And to make matters worse, they hadn't been able to make contact with Poseidon for weeks. His oceans were under attack and he was unavailable. This really didn't worry Ares much though. If it was a fight those stupid titans wanted, that's what they were going to get!

Ares also had a legendary ego to match his temper. The latest burn on his pride was his defeat with the stupid demigod Percy Jackson four years ago. His fellow gods still wouldn't let that go. Though there was one person who never made fun of him.

Artemis.

Well, actually, she never talked much to him to begin with. He smirked in bed thinking about all the passes he made just to try to get her to open up. They had all been in good fun, since he was going with Aphrodite, but he couldn't help but mean a few of them. She was just too cold for her own good.

Then when he thought carefully about it, he realized she never talked much to anybody. Well, except Apollo, but even he was a special case. They were probably as different as twins could be. She was strange, always pretending not to like people. He felt somewhat honored to be the second god she talked most to, even if it was mostly yelling.

He found her very interesting. She was always dressed as though she was having some weird fairy party or something; she looked like a kid, acted like an old sergeant and always yelled at everybody.

But she was pretty, he would give her that. She could probably rival Aphrodite if she wasn't always walking around with a pussy face all day. Maybe this trip was a chance to loosen her up.

'_Or maybe get her to stop talking to me permanently.' _Ares rolled his eyes as he thought. _'You better not screw this up man, or you'll find yourself with another immortal enemy.'_

That was probably the last thing he needed right now. He was going to be in demand pretty soon with the war and didn't need any extra grudges.

He was running out of allies, and fast. Because of his hot- headedness and violent personality he didn't have very many friends. They were usually either his enemies or just didn't care one way or another. He liked to think he had made a friend in Artemis and Apollo but you never know.

He had been acting like a major ass ever since Artemis had saved him from those giants over a thousand years ago. But you know, live and learn. And Apollo could be really annoying with all of his poetry that no one ever wants to hear. The recent Haiku phase was ending and everyone was afraid that he was going to discover rap.

With a start he realized that he didn't pack yet. He swore and jumped out of bed to start packing. Men usually don't need to pack many clothes, just an extra pair of underwear, but when you're Ares you need all the weapons you can carry. Ares didn't have a magical backpack like Artemis (no one had liked him enough to make him one) so he always had to come armed with weapons in just about the stupidest places. He put a small pile of weapons in a corner near his clothes to be dealt with in the morning.

When content with his somewhat pathetic packing, he settled back into bed and fell into an uneasy haze of unconsciousness.

*** Zeus' Bedroom, Olympus

"Dear, are you sure you know what you're getting into?" Hera asked of her husband.

"I'm positive. They really are the best for the job."

"Don't take this the wrong way but Artemis has never been along with a man on a mission before, she might be tempted," Hera pushed, unclear why she was defending Artemis. Since Artemis and Apollo were not her kids she always was trying to make trouble for them. One time she had even smacked Artemis and hit her with her own bow.

"I know what I'm doing," Zeus said grumpily as he settled in for bed. "Are you trying to get me to change my mind? You know we don't have time for that, they are leaving in the morning."

"Of course not honey," Hera assured Zeus. "I'm just a little nervous."

"Aren't we all? It is a very important mission." Zeus slid into the covers and Hera began to sit in next to him. They always slept with a lining of pillows between them, to separate.

"Couldn't you have sent Athena?" Hera persisted.

"No, do you want them to beat each other up again? Remember the volcano? We don't need gods maiming each other right before the big war! Typhon is getting stronger and I fear that he may attack within the month. And without Poseidon he will be even more deadly to fight against."

"I know honey; I'm just trying to think logically. What is he gets distracted?" Hera pushed herself all the way in the covers and now was pounding her peacock feathered pillow into shape.

"He always gets distracted no matter who is on the mission with him. I mean really Hera, what's the worst that can happen?"

"Don't ever say that. Besides, I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"I hate to admit it Hera, but so do I. But they'll come through, they always do. C'mon let's get some sleep. I'm grumpy and tired. Being lead god takes a lot out of you." Zeus flicked off the light and they settled in to sleep.

"I still don't like it."

"Hera… shut up."

***Ares motorcycle, edge of Olympus.

"Are you all packed and ready?" Ares asked once Artemis was in hearing range and he didn't have to shout.

"Yes. How about you?" Artemis asked to be polite; she really didn't care much if he brought a pack of toothpicks.

"Yeah." He eyed her backpack, the only thing in sight. "Is that all you're bringing?"

"Is that all _you're_ bringing?" she said pointedly gesturing to the backpack attached to his motorcycle.

"Fair point. All right… you can sit in the sidecar."

"Wait hold on a second," Artemis protested and held up a hand. "Why can't we use my chariot?"

"Okay, first, it's way too big. Second, don't your Hunters need to use it for the moon? Duh." Ares had woken up way too early for his liking and was already tired of the banter. "How about we just leave?"

"Do you know where you're going?" Artemis persisted, still not getting into the sidecar. She shifted the bag on her shoulders and her brown eyes brooded into his, making him uncomfortable.

"Yeah, course. Hidden island in the Indian Ocean." He shifted his feet around a little and stared back, trying to keep his rep.

Artemis only sighed and looked away to her feet. "Do you even know what it's called?" she looked exasperated.

Ares began to get mad and the fire in his eyes burned brighter seeming to suck the air from around them. "Of course I do! Something to do with pirates!"

"Pirates cove," Artemis interjected and Ares felt as though he wanted to strangle something.

'_Calm down or else you'll make this trip a lot more difficult than it needs to be!' _Ares thought to himself and he calmed himself so the fire died down. Throughout the entire time his eyes were burning Artemis kept in contact with them, hers never leaving his. He always admired her bravery, many people quivered when his eyes burned. Artemis just stood tall, never fading or backing down. Ares never admired many things but one thing he always admired was bravery.

"Now, let's try this again. Could you please get in the sidecar so we can leave?" Ares asked again trying to keep a poker face.

"Certainly. Thank you for asking nicely," Artemis smirked as she climbed in the sidecar, leaving Ares mumbling about bossy maiden goddesses. The motorbike's engine rumbled and they streaked off into the clouds, leaving a trail of smoke behind them.

The way they were flying wasn't in the least scientific; they zoomed about like an airplane would although they had no wings or nose. Above the clouds they soared and although Artemis was far from comfortable, she thought to herself how cool it was to be over the clouds. She dared a small smile and moved her hand out of the vehicle. Even though they were moving very fast her hand moved about the sky as if there were no forces against it.

Ares watched her out of the corner of his eye as the girl weaved her hands in and out of the clouds. Not many people were able to touch clouds, and even gods barely had time themselves to explore the world that they created. Artemis almost giggled as she wiggled her fingers through the puffy clouds.

"Do you like thrill rides?" Ares asked calmly, not needing to shout through the air for some reason.

"Erm, yes I suppose I do." Artemis replied slowly, as if wondering why he would ask such a thing.

She soon found her answer though when he did a random loop- the- loop through the sky and then a corkscrew. When she recovered from the shock she found herself laughing and abruptly stopped when she saw Ares grinning at her.

They passed the hours in a comfortable silence, surprisingly. Artemis could have sworn they could have been there sooner, a lot sooner, but Ares made the excuse about wind resistance. Truth be told, he sort of enjoyed the quiet. It was a sort of before- the- fight quiet that he liked.

When they neared the Indian Ocean, Ares began to slowly dip down. When they reached the end of the clouds they began to look around for an island unnoticed by human eyes.

Suddenly out of nowhere a pack of creatures that looked like flying women, and were lead by the monster Lamia on a dreadful gray chariot. Lamia used to be a beautiful woman and was loved by Zeus. Every time she gave birth to Zeus' child Hera would destroy it so Lamia became insane. She often snuck into houses to steal and eat children and became what people now refer to as Ogres or the bogey man. She was now ugly, much like Medusa, and could take out her eyes whenever she wanted.

The flying women were called Harpies and there was said to only be two.

"Looks like they multiplied," Ares muttered before yelling. "Hold on, it's going to be a long way down!" Artemis nodded her understanding and grabbed hold of the bar in front. Ares grabbed hold of the steering and gave it a jerk so they took a sharp turn.

"After them! Kronos says after them!" Lamia croaked in a raspy voice, matted hair barely flying in the wind, it was caked with so much human blood. A skeletal horse flew the chariot and it might just have been an abused Pegasus, but it looked like the kind of horses you only see in Sleepy Hallow.

Ares made another sharp turn downward so two Harpies crashed into one another and fell into the water, dazed. Ares tossed Artemis a two barrel gun from the holster on his leg. "Shoot at them! Unlimited Ammo!"

"That's a relief!" Artemis shouted and rolled her eyes, but nevertheless began to shoot behind her. One celestial bronze bullet only grazed a Harpies arm, but another shot it full in the chest and it fell, turning into dust.

Another three shots were fired and all of them missed, mostly due to the fact that Ares made a unexpected turn up. "Shoot! Don't just sit there and miss!" Ares yelled.

"It's hard to hit a moving target!" Artemis defended and fired, this time hitting two. Lamia screamed in frustration and sent the last ten soaring to them. "Oh crap!" Artemis swore and fired again, sending three down.

"Hold on!" Ares said again and before she knew it they were heading straight at them.

"Don't go at them!" Artemis screeched.

"Trust me! Just shoot!" yelled Ares and focused on his driving.

It was a lot easier to aim while in front but they were still gaining and Artemis knew she wouldn't be able to hit seven at a time. So she fumbled around in her bag and pulled out three small blades made of bronze and threw them spiraling to spate enemies.

Artemis was a good shot for spending centuries with a bow. Each hit their victim, leaving four behind. Artemis took another shot with the gun and hit one in the leg, and another in the face. Now, with only two remaining, Ares gained speed and bulldozed them, hitting a button on his dashboard that activated Greek fire which disintegrated the rest from behind.

Now with only Lamia left and the island in sight they corkscrewed down to try and hit Lamia. She wielding a sword and tried to bust a tire on their way down. When Ares steadied, he used his godly powers to bring fire in his hand, Artemis doing the same only with ice. They both threw them like balls to the crazy creature and she maneuvered to miss all of them. Then it seemed to hit Lamia that she was the only one left and outnumbered.

She smiled and waved. "You thought this was easy! Just wait until you get to the island!" she cackled and led her chariot down to the dark island resting below. The water was restless and the gods could tell that Poseidon's war had just begun. The island was in the shape of the Jolly Roger, the flag of pirates, and it was clouded with trees.

"Shall we go?" Artemis said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah…" Ares trailed off and revved his engine, pointing the motorcycle down so it could land on the outskirts of the island.

*** Pirates Cove, Indian Ocean

The surface was a lot worse then it looked from a hundred feet in the air. Thick vines hung everywhere and the beach was polluted and brown. It seemed as though all the oil spills in the world ended up here. Dead fish bones lied everywhere, and if there was any life at all, it seemed to have vanished.

"This place sure could use a Golden Fleece," Artemis commented as she and Ares climbed out of the bike in a somewhat clean area.

"That's for sure," Ares agreed and began looking around. Artemis started to fumble around a little in her bag and brought out a large sack and a small device. She turned on the electronic square and waved it around a bit.

"What is that?" Ares asked, trying to sound bored.

"This is a scanner. I don't think we're being filmed where was are now, but we can never be too sure. I think we should take shifts while the other rests."

"We're gods, we don't need to sleep!" Ares exclaimed, starting to get quite annoyed at himself for not suggesting it first.

"We are going to need to recharge before tomorrow. Now help me set up this tent." She put away the scanner and began to tug at the fastenings on the sack that held the tent.

"You had room to pack a tent?" asked Ares, trying not to sound impressed or confused.

"Yes, I have a special bag. I also have the entire Harry Potter series, half my wardrobe and a six pack of root beer somewhere." Artemis said coolly, taking out poles and setting them out on the ground.

"Well, take out a root beer for me and let's get cracking," Ares rubbed his hands together and kneeled down to help. "After all, tomorrow's going to be a real exciting day."

*** END PART ONE

**So, as usual, tell me what you think. Love it, hate it, just not sure yet. Its eleven pages so I would have to say that I am very proud of myself. I might finish Tatooine Shadows before I even think about updating this but yeah, you know the drill. Tell me what you think and I'll love you forever.**

**I think I'm going to do this in three parts. The next one is going to be the longest part, the whole mission, and then the last one is the trip and the part where they get back.**

***Hint* *hint*, I like suggestions.**


	2. Hiding out

Okay, I do have excuses but I doubt that you want to hear them. Just read and tell me what you think!

Thanks to my reviewers, all my cyber friends from Unexpected! You guys are awesome! Okay so this story wasn't as popular as I would have hoped but it got readers so I'm happy.

Waho! Here's six pages of awesomness!

Disclaimer: I own nothing PJ, but I do own a bunch of new stuff because I just had my birthday! Yeah! I've been on for a year!

****Start chapter

Ares stretched and swaggered over to the rock that Artemis had used as a lookout spot. They had both taken two three hour intervals each over the course of the night and needless to say were both very tired and cranky.

"Do you see anythin'?" Ares asked and yawned, sitting down without an invitation.

"No. Nothing all night," Artemis said wearily in reply. "I'm starting to get worried. Lamia must have told someone that we were on the island. It would be idiotic to assume that we were anywhere but the edge of the island."

"Yeah," he ran a hand through his hair, successfully making it stand on end. "You're the hunter. Do you think you could go find us some breakfast?"

Artemis yawned. "I packed some fruit bars and ambrosia but I guess it wouldn't hurt to find some fresh game while we still can." She looked around at the oil splattered floor. "Then again, if there is anything alive left." Artemis stood up and pulled her silver bow and a quiver of arrows out of her bag and Ares made himself more comfortable on the rock. "While I'm gone, would you mind putting back the tent and getting ready to leave?"

Ares groaned and rolled his eyes, reminding himself that he did NOT want to fight. Not now, at least. "Whatever you say, your Worshipfulness." Artemis just turned on her heel and stalked into the forest.

As Artemis slid deeper into the forest, her clothes began to blend with the surroundings, making her camouflage. The minutes passed slowly, every rustle in the trees to be examined at a distance. At two miles Artemis was starting to get doubtful that there was anything alive on this island besides Kronos' minions.

Suddenly a rustle in the trees stopped her in her tracks. It sounded a lot larger than an animal. Artemis stood stark still, listening attentively, hand on her bow. A twig cracked and Artemis' upper boy twisted, instinctively sending an arrow in the direction of the sound. A thump could be heard and she carefully maneuvered her way through the woods toward the sound. Coming closer, she saw that the creature that she hit was actually a huge black widow spider, one of the most poisonous in the world. What was different about it was that it was about the size of a Penske truck.

Seeing that it wasn't quite dead yet, she quickly took an arrow from the sheath and hit it again from her hiding place. The spider gave a satisfying whimper and disappeared in a breeze of dust. Artemis, now extra cautious, looked around once more.

'I'll just find something edible and get back to camp,' she thought. After creeping around for a while she found only two skinny squirrels with no meat on them, so she figured they wouldn't be worth killing.

The way back to camp was uneventful but Artemis was extra wary.

"Did you find anything?" Ares asked loudly upon her return.

"Nothing, just a widow spider."

"Well, that doesn't sound too appetizing." Ares made a face and got off the rock.

"No, it doesn't," Artemis agreed and walked over to her bag and pulling out two rations. Ares made a grimace but took the package.

"At least you remembered to pack the ambrosia."

"Yeah, well, when you finish we should head out," Artemis said and began to take down the tent. Ares peeled back the covering for the ration bar and grimaced at the brown surface.

"I don't understand why we couldn't have had Demeter or something come along," Ares complained and took a bite.

"If the Hunters can eat that for months on end, so can you," Artemis called from the inside, pulling blankets out. "We usually don't even have this much comfort."

"Good for them," Ares rolled his eyes. "Usually I'm one for discomfort but this is ridiculous."

"It's a wonder that you've made it this far," Artemis smirked and began folding the tent, pushing it into her bag. "Athena told me about the last mission you went on."

"Well, it's difficult being with someone who thinks their smarter then you all the time," Ares explained and chewed on his bar. Artemis neglected to point out that was how most woman were around men. It didn't usually take much to set him off and she didn't want to have him mad at her the whole mission.

Ares loaded his bag on his shoulder and Artemis did the same after grabbing a bar for herself. "Let's go. We don't want any more unwanted company."

"I get the feeling that we're going to get some anyway," Artemis admitted, slinging her bow over her other shoulder and reloading arrows.

"Now don't jinx us, the gods love that kind of invitation."

They began the trek to the middle of the island. The ground was mushy and gross, the mud clinging to their boots. It almost felt like quicksand, only stickier. Webs were everywhere and three times the size that they should be. Artemis figured that the webs were made by some more of the very same spider that she ran into this morning. All the trees in the area were a sickly sort of brownish yellow, up to the point that Demeter would have hurled in disgust.

"It looks as though all the bad things that happen to nature increase tenfold here," Artemis commented as she saw an oil slick in a random spot appear. They avoided the spot and continued on.

"It also seems as though wearing white was a poor choice in clothing," Ares sneered. Artemis said nothing and stopped suddenly. "What is it?"

"Sush!" she told him, holding out her arm. She put a hand on her bow and un slung it. Artemis heard a familiar rustling in the brush and quickly sent out an arrow.

"What do you think it is?" Ares asked as they made their way to where she heard the noise.

"Oh," she said as they reached the animal. "It's just another one of those stupid widow spiders."

"It's huge," commented Ares as he saw for the first time how large the spider actually was. "For a spider I mean."

"Yes, it is. Not normal at all. I wonder if they were expecting Athena, it seems as though the spiders are the only ones guarding the base," Artemis pondered as they once again trudged through the jungle.

"Well, we know that's not true because it's Kronos and he'll be extra prepared. We just need to keep our eyes and ears open." Ares pulled out his own weapon and added it to his holster on his leg. It was made for easy access and not directly noticeable at first glance.

After ten minutes Artemis paused. "It's strange that we haven't encountered anything yet. I'm starting to wonder if we're in the right place. We might be fooled by a distracter charm."

"I don't think so," Ares disagreed. "We would have known if we were being fooled by unnatural means."

Then out of a tree came the twin giant brothers Otus and Ephialtes. "Speaking of unnatural…" Artemis growled. Ares glared daggers at them, moving his hand to his holster, ready and itching for a fight.

"Ares! Artemis! Looking lovely as usual," Otus sneered.

"Thanks," Ares grinned. Otus chortled.

"Ah, Ares we should have killed you while you were still in that jar," Ephialtes said, reaching down to his belt for his sword. "We won't let your pretty little girlfriend distract us this time. That's why I assume you're here Arty babe?" he now addressed Artemis. "Because you decided bad boys were more fun than remaining chaste?"

"Well even if that was why we're both here it would be more fun than being with stinky old giants! It was fun killing you the first time. I'll be happy to do it again right now to save time."

"Let's do it together," Ares suggested, drawing out his weapon. "I haven't properly thanked them for my imprisonment."

"Hey, it was no problem, really," Ephialtes sneered. "Once we disarm you our leader wants to see you, we've been waiting all night for you two to show up."

"And I've been waiting all century for you to show up so I can have my way with you right in front of your father's arrogant nose," Otus taunted Artemis. She glared.

"Well, I'm not going to let that happen." Ares took a step forward. "None of it. You too were the stupidest captors I've ever had. You couldn't even keep a guy in a jar for very long. Thirteen months? For a god? That's like waiting on line for Soarin' at Disney World."

"Well," Ephialtes sighed. "I suppose if you want to do it the hard way."

Ares grinned. "You bet."

Artemis' arrow started the fight. It hit Otus in the shoulder and he groaned softly before pulling it out and snapping it in two. Ares charged over to Ephialtes and slugged him hard in the face. Ares kept on hitting the giant until he was weak enough to drop his weapon, which Ares kicked aside. Ephialtes coughed out green blood and kicked Ares right in the groin. Ares just grinned, for he was ALWAYS protected.

Soon, Ares and Ephialtes were in a fist fight, rolling all around kicking and punching in no strategic way. Ares knew that he needed something sharp to be able to send the giant back to Tartarus. His weapon was long lost amongst the mud during the fight and it was impossible to see anything with the hooded trees and the dark sky.

Meanwhile Artemis and Otus were in the middle of a sword fight, arrows long forgotten. Artemis was quite skillful with a sword, but as was Otus.

"But babe, if you had just picked me you wouldn't need to be hanging around with this loser!" Otus taunted feinting to the right but Artemis caught him. Their medal clashed as Artemis artfully maneuvered her weapon with a grace that only comes after centuries of training.

"I wouldn't have picked you if the Underworld froze up! I intend to remain true to my vows!"

"Oh sure," Otus rolled his eyes and jabbed lazily at her leg. "It's highly impossible to do so. Gods can never come through! They just think they're so cool with their awesome powers," he jeered and Artemis yelled in rage. "You know, I never knew what I ever saw in you, you look like a little kid."

"Yes? Well looks can be deceiving!" she called and hooked her sword around his and pulling, causing it to fling over to where Ares and the other giant were brawling. Using his stunned surprise to her advantage she sunk the blade into the exposed part in his armor between helmet and chest plate. He let out a surprised grunt and howled loudly before crumbling into dust.

Ephialtes looked over just when his twin crumbled apart. He screamed in an animalistic way and forcefully pushed Ares aside. He untangled himself and picked up his brothers fallen sword.

"You will pay for this!" he charged at Artemis and she held up her sword defensively. Ares, meanwhile found his small blade in the mud after fumbling and flung it hard at the giants lower exposed back. He stopped in his tracks, twisting and pulling the blade from his back. He glared murderously at the god, who smirked.

"You'll both pay for this! When I come back I will find you both and make you wish you had never laid eyes on us!" he cried before slowly falling apart.

"Don't worry, we already do. You're uglier then Kronos in a thousand pieces!" shouted Artemis as his dust scattered in the wind.

Ares and Artemis stared at one another and they smiled. Artemis walked over to Ares and offered him a hand up. He took it and began to brush himself off. Artemis was about to compliment him when she noticed a tear in his pant leg. Golden ichors dripped out from the opening and Artemis gasped.

"You're hurt!"

Ares waved a hand. "I'm the war god. I get hurt all the time."

"Yeah but really! Let me patch it up! It looks really bad." Ares raised an eyebrow at her sudden concern but shrugged and sat down on a nearby misshapen rock to stick out the wounded leg.

"Go right ahead." Artemis rolled her eyes but bent down and pulled out a piece of cloth from her bag. She began to wind it around the slit after first applying it with some water.

"Do you want some ambrosia?" she asked and started to reach in her bag for the box of ambrosia.

"Naw," he answered. "Mind as well save it for later, who knows if we'll get hurt again." Artemis nodded and stood up, looking less and less like a child to Ares. He stood too, towering over her. "We'd better head out." Artemis nodded and walked away. Ares watched her and stifled a laugh when he saw a blotch of mud covering her lower back. She turned around.

"Well? Are you coming or not?" she asked and Ares tried to look as innocent as possible.

"Yeah, I'm coming."

****Section break

The base was surprisingly small, but they figured that it ran underground as well. It was well hidden by bushes but looked somewhat like a factory. Two empousae guarded the obvious front door. They were in their normal scary selves and looked really bored. Ares and Artemis were crouched down behind a series of bushes trying to think of a plan.

"C'mon let's go," Ares began to stand up. Artemis grabbed him by the elbow and forced him down again.

"What are you doing?" she demanded. "You can't just barge in there! We need to think of a plan."

Ares groaned. "Aw man I hate plans. This reminds me of the Athena thing, always needed a plan. Have you got one?" he challenged.

Artemis pondered for a moment, looking around for another entrance. "Yes actually," she said after a moment. "There's a section of ground over there that looks different from all the other sections. See?" Artemis pointed at a part and Ares saw that the growth there looked greener and more alive than anything they had seen so far. He nodded. "I think that might be a sort of elevator that will open up with tons of reinforcements if we go for the empousae. If we can take them out from a distance and find out a way to go down there it might be easier than if we walk through their front door." Ares agreed reluctantly.

"How are we going to get them?" Ares asked without thinking. Artemis smiled and pulled out her bow.

"Easy." She loaded two arrows in a row and angled them at the two guards. She let them go and they both hit their targets, which disappeared. "Well, that gets rid of them, but how do we get there without being noticed? It seems almost too easy."

"Yeah." Ares agreed and looked around. "Do ya want me ta make a diversion?"

"No, I don't think that's necessary." Artemis squinted. "I think I might know a way. It would have been easier to do it in the dark but we'll just have to make do with what we have. The sections of trees are closer to the building on either side. But over there is a shadow, so we'll go that way." The duo stealthily crept up to the side and got as close as they could.

"The fact that there aren't any windows will help us," Ares supplied. "I'll go first." He ran from out of the bushes over to where the building was covered in shade. Then, when no alarms were set off, Artemis went. They slid along the side of the building to the front where the guards were stationed, now was empty. When they walked in the indented space they saw that zigzagging laser alarms were set along the yard so if they had set even a foot on the grass they would have been found.

They found a console on the side where the alarms would be turned off. It also had the controls to the elevator in the ground. First Ares hotwired the machine to turn off all of the lasers, then once he got into the system he was able to lower the grass.

Now, able to move about, they jogged to the healthy section and waited until it lowered. All nerves were on high when they dipped below and when they reached the ground, the Olympians were greeted with a smell. "Monsters," Ares grumbled.

They stepped off and hit over near a secluded area on the side. It was a dimly lit long corridor with casual doors and indents for chairs and supply closets. Ares dipped his head closer to Artemis.

"Now what?" he whispered. She stood up on her tiptoes to reach his ear.

"We wait for two more empoesae because they have armor. No wait, just one for me. I'll get a map of the ground and meet you back here. You be sure to stay out of trouble. I'll try to find the control room so we can blow it up together." Although Ares wasn't thrilled on the thought of not coming with her, he stayed put.

Soon a single empoesae strolled down the corridor, looking at something in her hands. Artemis raised her bow and shot an arrow when she got close enough. A strangled yelp followed and she faded, leaving her costume. Artemis dragged the belongings over to where they were. She began to pull on the outfit as Ares rifted through the files.

"Looks like you won't need to find a map, there's one right here," he showed her. Artemis glanced over while putting on a helmet.

"That's good, save on time. Where's the armory?"

"Why?" Ares asked, sifting through the levels.

"I need to get you an outfit too before we look for the control room."

"It's on level five and right now we're on level seven. Looks like they go down instead of up," Ares commented, handing her the map which she tucked into a pocket.

"Yeah well, everything about gramps was backwards," she shrugged and took off down the corridor.

There were occasional torches of Greek fire but besides that there wasn't really anything to light the place. It would have been insanely creepy for anyone other than a god. It was the kind of place that you only see in scary movies.

Escalators were the way to get from one floor to the next, which was odd. But the fifth level came fast and no one asked any questions. The armory was at the middle end of the floor and none of the strangely ancient Greek creatures gave her a second glance. The armory was lined with rows and rows of celestial bronze coverings. Artemis figured that it must be a major export to Kronos for war materials. Getting rid of this place would be doing everyone a favor.

Quickly choosing a suit and stuffing it into her ridiculously full never ending bag, she gave the clerk there the excuse that a fellow half giant was playing in a volcano and needed a new suit. Surprisingly she agreed and Artemis was sent on her way. The way back was also uneventful but there was a sort of sun- before- the- storm feel to it all.

"Quick change into this," she hissed to Ares when she returned to the seventh level. He did without any problems and they set out on their way.

"The control room is all the way on ground floor. I don't know how we're going to get there without a permit." Ares told Artemis.

"Leave that to me, I'm sure I'll think of something."

Now a full grown 'half- giant' and 'empoesae' together got some funny looks but they just glared at the questioners until they went away. They took it slow, casually poking their heads in random doors asking for people and looking busy and inconspicuous.

After a while they made their way to the control room. It wasn't very large but it was filled with metal cables and electronics that kept the whole building running.

"Do you have the Greek fire?" Ares asked.

"Yes. Do you think our contact is in the building?" Artemis asked worriedly as she pulled jars of fire out of the bag.

"Well he isn't for very much longer," Ares answered almost solemnly as he taped them to the sides. "If he doesn't get out of here in fifteen minutes he's gonna be star dust."

Artemis nodded sadly and slung her bag back on her shoulder. "Okay, timers are all set, let's get going."

It took them almost ten of their minutes to get out of the structure. They quickly got to the surface and broke into a swift run just as the whole configuration erupted in green flames. When they were out of the way of the debris they slowed to a jog.

"Wow we did it!" Ares exclaimed. "All too easy."

"Not quite," said a young voice from the shadows.

****end chapter.

Oh god that took me all day! Wow, I just decided that I would finish this sucker up but then came time for bed so hopefully I'll have this done by tomorrow. I just want to get this finished so if the qualities bad it's because I don't want this hanging over me like a conscience.

If you enjoyed; tell me!


	3. Checking Out

**Hey, it's me again. Wuzzup? Well, here comes another story to a close. Awesome. Maybe later I could go on with this couple but I think I'm going to take a break for a little bit. I'm going to Sturgis High, the number 1 school in Mass, so things are going to be tight. Hopefully I can update some more stuff but for now I think this is good.**

**Yeah, love you all, it's been a blast, and where the %$&*^&* is acast?**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing. AT ALL.**

***Start Chapter***

"Bravo! Really, I'm impressed," said the teenager that had just appeared from the comfortable shadows of the trees.

"A kid? That's who the big mighty Kronos sends to defend his army? A child? Boy, is he losing his touch," mocked Ares, sneering at the boy. Artemis nudged him, her hunting instincts on overload.

The teen just smiled, a cruel cold smile. He had blond hair and a scar running down his face. But that wasn't the weird part. When Ares and Artemis looked closer, they could see that he had golden eyes. Ancient, timeless, malicious eyes.

"Hey, what's your name Half-Blood?" asked Ares a bit uneasily. Artemis visibly swallowed and reached back slowly to grab her bow.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you princess," the blond teen said and waved his hand lazily. A creature slid into the light at his call and forcibly grabbed Artemis' arms. Artemis struggled against the restraint but it dug a sharpened claw into the exposed skin of her upper forearm. She cried out in an alarmed pain and Ares reacted.

"Hey!" Ares growled at the creature, who whimpered but stayed but. "Tell that think to watch it!" he turned to the teen.

"You know I would… but why?"

Ares took a deep breath. "Who are you?"

"Oh, you don't know me. Or at least the shell that I live in now," he said, eyes gleaming. "This pathetic body in which I now reside is the shell of Luke, son of Hermes." Ares scowled, hearing indeed of Luke. "But you might be more familiar with the name of Kronos." Artemis swore and the creature that held her stabbed her again and she yelped. Ares eyes were now purple and flaming. Any weak man would be turning to ash if he were at the receiving end of that stare. But Kronos held his gaze calmly.

"Now… what shall I do with you two?"

"How about let us go?" Artemis suggested, ending with another yelp as she got poked again.

Luke or Kronos laughed and it echoed throughout the forest. "No… no. Defiantly not. You'll need to be subdued, however." He raised an arm and mythical beings made their appearance on all sides of the clearing. "Grab them both," Kronos ordered, sounding bored and disinterested.

Empoesae grabbed the god and more troll- like- things took hold of Artemis. "You'll regret this," warned Ares.

"No, you'll regret ever setting foot on this island. You two will wish that my lousy son had never made you. You will beg me to put you out of your misery. Trust me, you will be put through such pain it will be a wonder if you will still be able to move a blood cell after I'm finished with you."

"I'm the war god. I am the definition of pain," Ares hissed.

"Not for long."

***BREAK!***

"How is it that so many of you were able to escape the explosion?" asked Artemis through clenched teeth.

"Oh, we knew you were there. Unfortunately someone saw you in empoesae armor and deducted that you walked way too… human. We got most of the soldiers out in time… too bad for you that we lost all of our armor and weapons… you will compensate." Kronos scowled and nodded to a skittish human boy off to his right. "Your capture is thanks this young man here…" Ares glared at the boy and he whimpered.

They were walking at a brisk pace to nowhere it seemed. Kronos was leading with the prisoners in tow. If the Olympians had tried to run they would be surrounded by a couple hundred bloodthirsty minions. They could only hope that help would come soon.

"Yes, isn't that right son of Aphrodite? Got tired of being the pretty boy and turned in your mom's boyfriend. Guess who's not getting a birthday present from home?" Kronos mocked and the boy put on a face between a wince and a scowl. What was weird was that Ares looked uncomfortable when Kronos mentioned Aphrodite, something that Artemis would file away for later.

"Where are we headed?" asked a nearby chimera.

"Never you mind!" yelled Kronos and the chimera put its head down in embarrassment. They walked for a long time more, but when they had reached another clearing he abruptly stopped. "We will pitch tent here."

"But master… why here?" asked the same chimera.

Kronos rolled his eyes. "Does it matter?" he said sarcastically. When the chimera nodded he narrowed his eyes dangerously and the creature slowly shook his head. "Allright," Kronos began to address the rest of the camp. "You lazy slugs will pitch tent fast, get these _gods_ away from me before I throw up, and get this stupid chimera away from me before I kill someone important. Is that clear?" There was a universal nodding of heads. Then nothing. "Well, get to it!" Kronos yelled, frustrated. "Do you need a formal invitation? Let's go!" the creatures all separated into complete chaos, leaving Artemis and Ares with only the creatures restraining them and Kronos. "What part of 'get the gods out of my sight' did you not understand?"

"We are so going to win," mumbled Artemis as they were led away to a tree. They were tied to it in celestial bronze and they key was placed upon a necklace on Kronos' neck. "This sucks," she interjected and Ares nodded, eyes alert and mapping out a strategy.

"Oh, I do hope you enjoy electricity, because tomorrow you're about to have a couple thousand volts coursing through both of your bodies you might start breathing through your bellybutton!" Kronos laughed and turned to talk to a creature.

Ares looked at Artemis with a raised eyebrow and they both shook their heads.

"What will we do?" Artemis asked.

"What can we do? We'll wait until tomorrow to figure all this out."

*** BREAK!***

It wasn't until late at night before the gods stirred again. They were woken by a blue eyed boy with the mother of Aphrodite.

"Let me guess… you're our contact?" Artemis whispered sarcastically.

"Shh… not so loud your highness! I'm going to try to get you out of there but I'll need your help! Please don't speak!" Ares rolled his eyes and nodded. "I wasn't there when Kronos locked you two up there. DO either of you know where the key is?"

"Yeah, it's on a chain on his neck kid. Good luck not getting fried," Ares told the kid in doubtful tones.

"Kronos may seem like he's in control of his new body but the truth is… he really isn't. He's not fully adapted yet and he's starting to get worried because the war is coming soon. He needs his sleep. He'll be in almost like a coma. It should be too hard," the kid assured himself doubtfully.

"Whatever you say kid, but just hurry it up will ya? I want to kick some monster asses before we head for the sky."

"Just try your hardest," Artemis encouraged with a dirty glare at Ares.

"Yeah, whatever. Just get us out!"

The boy nodded and stealthily approached the golden tent that belonged to Kronos. There were guards stationed there, but they took no notice. As the boy passed he shot them casually with miniature darts and they disintegrated. The gods looked on in anticipation as he snuck in through the flaps and disappeared.

It took many painstaking minutes until he reappeared outside the flaps again. In addition to a golden key clutched in his small hand he held a jar of Greek fire. Ares and Artemis glanced at one another, just starting to realize what he had in mind regarding the fire.

"It seems Kronos was having a nightmare. It turned out to be a lot harder than I previously thought," said the boy with a nervous smile. "I tried to be as quick as possible. Do you know where the motor bike is?"

"Yeah. It's over near the edge of the island. Just hurry up kid will you so we can go?" Ares said impatiently.

The boy touched the key to the lock and the lock turned red and disintegrated. Ares and Artemis quietly unfurled themselves from the chains and left them on the ground. They found their weapons in a pile over near a tent and geared up.

"Boy they are really losing their touch, aren't they?" Artemis noticed. She lit the points of her arrows up with the fire and shot arrows quietly through the air until each tent was in flames. The occupants never noticed a thing. The gods and the boy swiftly fled the scene and they used the boys knowledge of the island to help them reach the edge.

"Hold on!" The boy cried. He remembered his bracelet with the Kronos inscription on it and tossed it into a flowing goop stream. They began again. Luckily it didn't take them long to reach the shore, but unluckily once they got to the motorbike they could hear the cries of rage from Kronos as he surveyed his fallen camp.

Ares started the engine as Artemis climbed into the connected side car, pulling the boy into her lap. Ares took off into the sky just as Kronos reached the beach after them. He raised his hands in fury, but, having no reinforcements, stayed put on the ground.

"This isn't over!" he cried. "You Olympians will be sorry!"

"I'm sure," muttered Artemis. "I sure am sorry already to have you sniveling worm as my grandpa." Ares nodded his agreement. She turned to the boy seated in her lap. "What's your name?"

"Colin ma'am."

"Thank you Colin. You just saved us."

Colin blushed and Ares grinned at the kids' discomfort. "Just like his ma," he muttered and gunned the engine.

"Follow the moon," said Artemis. "It is one of my hunters."

"Yeah, I know," grumbled Ares unhappily, but he followed anyway. He pulled up to the silver chariot and Colin gasped at its beauty. Sarha and Serhey were driving, only without the presence of their usual pointy sticks.

"Good evening Milady!" Serhey called happily.

"What am I, chopped liver?" complained Ares.

"Hey Ares!" Sarha said conversationally.

"Hi," he mumbled.

"You two are doing a great job," the girls smiled brightly at the praise. "I was wondering if you would drop of this brave soldier," Colin smiled, "At Camp Half- Blood? After you're done with the route, of course."

"We would be glad to!" they both said in unison. They made the transfer of Colin and continued on the way. The gods could hear Colin's squeal of delight as they sped away.

"Maybe I should not have let the girls take that boy with them," Artemis pondered worriedly.

"They'll be fine," Ares rolled his eyes. "Besides we're almost there."

The rest of the ride passed in silence, the wind rushing through their hair and the Empire State Building loomed into view.

"Here we go," announced Ares and sped up.

They touched down on the ground of Olympus and were greeted with a mob of excited gods and goddesses. They all wanted to know how the mission went, and if they were quite all right, thank you very much. The two gods politely answered many questions but were quickly getting irritable. They headed for the Zeus household to give him the report.

Zeus arrived at the door in his pajamas. "Come in, come in…" he mumbled grumpily and stalked away to his office, where Ares and Artemis suspected they should follow him.

***BREAK!***

"So you're saying that you met with Kronos? Really?"

"Yes dad, we said that three thousand gosh darned times!" Ares yelled, losing his patience.

"Just checking. Well at least you managed to get one base off our to- do list." Zeus said.

"Great," Artemis yawned. "Can we leave now?"

"Sure… but I was just wondering… would you mind going on another mission tomorrow? It's a lot of the same thing only…"

Ares and Artemis were already gone.

***END CHAPTER!***

**So there goes another one. Breaks the heart. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. I hope everyone had a safe and happy Thanksgiving. If I don't write before Christmas… Happy that too!**

**What the heck… I know you'll just review if you want to or not… my nagging won't accomplish anything…**


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